10 Tips for Tats from Master Tattooist Chris DeBarge

"You can tell someone 'this is a bad idea', and they’ll still do it, then it looks like ass, and then they complain." - Chris DeBarge

Tattoos are forever, and as rockers age, we become more aware of that every day. It was great to get drunk at 18 and have Duran Duran tattooed on our ass, but as our butts begins to sag, do we still feel the same way we did then?

Knowledge is the antidote to most problems – the kind we may not have been able to get 25 years ago due to Mad Dog getting in the way – so Rocker took our very grown up and nearly sober questions about tattoos to Master Tattooist Chris DeBargeat Allston MA’s Stingray Body Art to get his tips for every stage of the tattooing process.

1. Speaking as someone in the business, what would you look for in a tattoo artist or tattoo parlor?

Attitude is number one. If the artist has a good attitude I know they care about what they do. If the person is dismissive, who knows how they will feel about working on your tattoo? You want to use somebody you trust and you think is going to pay attention to what they’re doing rather than problems they’re having with their girlfriend or something. Look at their portfolio of their work, but if you get a good vibe from them, that is really important.

As for the parlor itself, again, the attitude is key. If they greet you, say “hello”, whatever,… I mean, you wouldn’t expect them to kiss your ass, but if they are serious about their business they’re not going to give you a short shrift. You are well within your rights to ask about cleanliness, and that’s what the permits on the wall are for – to show they are licensed by the board of health or whatever sanctioning body there is in their state. By all means, ask to see the shop’s clean room. If they give you kind of a half-assed answer about that – or shrug it off – you gotta wonder, are they having a bad day, or are they trying to hide something?

2. What are some common mistakes people make when getting a tattoo?

Always first and foremost, getting it too small

Like, if you get a letter E that is 1/8 of an inch tall, in just a few years time the ink will begin to move a little tiny bit, and that E is going to close up and it’s going to be an O. It is the biggest mistake people make, and they do it every day, and the tattoos look like hell pretty quickly.

I’m sure you’ve noticed nowadays people want writing, writing, writing, tons of writing and it is just going to turn into mush. If you want that thing to last for 30 or 40 years you can’t make it too small, it has to be nice and bold. Those old guys knew what they were doing when those tattoos were all bold and simple. I’m not putting down the detailed work some people are doing nowadays, ‘cuz there’s amazing stuff coming from some artists nowadays, I just question the longevity of it.

There’s nothing wrong with words in a tattoo, I like them, I have them, but (gestures to own arm) this says “Mom”, it doesn’t have the 23rd Psalm. I mean, a picture is worth a thousand words, right?

3. Sometimes you have a very clear idea of what you want to have done, and the tattoo artist won’t go along. Should you argue if you really want a certain thing?

There are things we can’t do, and we won’t do. If I think the tattoo is too small and in too rough of a place I just won’t do it. I won’t just take your money. You can argue with me all you want, but I’m not going to do it. I’m not a prostitute. It’s bad karma.

I have had this happen to me countless times, where you can sit there and tell someone for an hour why this is a bad idea, and they’ll still want to do it because they think they know more than you. And then it looks like ass. And then they complain about it. So when they pull that on me now, I’m like (waves) “Have a good day!”

4. Should parents go with their kids to get them tattoos?

In the old days you would have avoided your parents if you were going to get a tattoo. You don’t want them to know! It’s something you get to do as an adult. You turn 18 and you go to the tattoo parlor and get a fuckin’ tattoo if you want! It’s your decision and your parents can’t stop you! I guess now that kids often want to be best friends with their parents that has destroyed that a bit.

Nowadays, when I see parents come in with their kids it’s usually because they want a tattoo also. Even if they don’t get one, they’re still curious.

5. Are there any special consideration for folks over 40 getting new tattoos?

As you age, your skin will start to change, you lose collagen, and the sun starts to take a toll. Skin is very different to tattoo on a 60 year old person than on a 20 year old person. It’s more delicate, not as pliable and damages easier. You have to keep things simple and bold.

6. What is the most important thing someone can do to keep their tattoo looking great?

Keep ‘um out of the sun – there’s not much more I can tell you. It’s the same thing with any skin condition, “Don’t go in the sun, stay younger”. It’s just like if you put a painting out in the sun, sooner or later it’s going to fade a bit. The same thing happens to a tattoo – especially the lighter colors, the sun will attack them.

7. What can people do when their tattoos begin to fade or discolor?

Learn to live with it – which is what most people do because they don’t want to go through it again. Some people want to come in and get them fixed up. You can do that – get them re-done – but it’s nothing you can do every 5 years, because sooner or later the skin will just become a giant scar. The skin gets damaged every time you do it so you can’t just keep tattooing it over and over in one place. It’s the same thing with getting them re-colored, you can only do it so many times, or your skin will get all crummy. I’ve seen people who have had it re-done like 4 times and they want me to recolor it again and I’m just like “there’s no point, the skin is not going to hold any ink.”

When you redo it, the look can also become muddy because tattoo colors aren’t completely opaque. So if say you have a blotchy orange and you hit it again with orange you’re still going to see that blotch underneath. So re-doing is not a plan. Just keep it out of the goddamn sun. You should wear sunblock anyway, the sun is gonna turn you into a goddamn suitcase!

Most people realize you got to accept some things about aging. I mean, you can’t buy your way out of every situation. The skin is gonna age, and tattoos age, not just from the sun. They do start to spread out a little, I’m sure we’ve all seen the old guy with the tattoo that looks like a giant green blob. The ink does start to move, and when we’re talking a guy who has a 40 or 50 year old tattoo starting to show signs of that, I’d hope by that point the guy wasn’t so conceited that he really cared about the thickness of the lines.

Older tattoos that turn green – that’s because they were made with India ink, which is not a true black but a a dark, dark green – so that’s why they look like that. We don’t use India ink anymore, you can’t even buy that stuff anymore, they banned it. The inks we use now are pretty high quality, they have a higher level of pigment so they are less susceptible to aging and sun. But there is a limit, you can only cram so much color into the skin.

8. Will psoriasis, eczema, or other skin ailments destroy my tattoo?

It may or may not damage it. I’ve seen people with poison ivy, or a cut, and people come in and freak out like “Oh no, my tattoo!” But you’d be surprised, once it heals up, often it is OK.

9. How will weight gain, loss, or pregnancy affect my tattoo?

I get this question all the time, especially from teenage boys who say stuff like “I’m gonna work out and get big, what’s gonna happen to my tattoo?” and the answer is “Keep working out and we’ll see.” You can see on those Iron Man competitions though, [the more built up the guys get] those guy’s tattoos do move – look for that next time.

As for pregnancy, I’ve seen it go both ways. I’ve seen it where the tattoo got bigger and then it went back after the woman gave birth, and then I’ve seen it get a little mushy looking, like it has been out in the sun. Stretch marks are definitely not good for a tattoo, it can make it bumpy.

10. What is the most important thing people forget about getting a tattoo?

Getting a tattoo is a process. It’s about going to get the tattoo, and talking with people you meet in the lobby. Its fun, and you come out and you’re a badass now ‘cuz you’ve got a tattoo! It often really is about a time and a place, rather than the actual tattoo you have. People forget that because of these ridiculous shows they have on TV nowadays. Getting a tattoo is supposed to be fun.

Our thanks to reader Sandy C. for requesting an article like this.

Sorry no related posts!

Sstorrie

What do you do with an artist who agrees to do a shoulder back piece for you then you get to about the 3rd session & he cops an attitude because he’s tired of working on it? So you give him big tips to keep going to at least finish it. He won’t return messages . His girlfriend acts extemely negative even though she has NO cause from a woman who is almost old enough to be her mom. I’ve even appologized for something I. May have said or did. I don’t have a clue but I must of done something wrong? Heck I’m 48 married 28yrs with 4 grandkids. I don’t know tattoo etiquette…this is my first piece that I started with my 1st butterfly last yr. Then everything he does has to be retouched because the pieces are big, colorful &detailed. I even don’t mind that a 2 hr session takes 4 or 5 hrs at the shop because he does no drawings or prep work ahead of time and takes lots of breaks. Appt at 11:00 he starts around 1pm-I usually leave around 4pm.. His boss seems to get irrated but says nothing. I can deal with it all if I thought he really was into the tattoo but he makes me feel guilty instead. I am on disability due to my neck being almost completely rebuilt and fused 3 yrs ago. This tattoo was an anniversery present from my husband and a symbal of a new beginning. As you can tell I’m frustrated and hurt. I’m 1375.00 into it plus 40 to 50 tip for each session but after he deleted and ignored my last message that I had to cancel for tomorrow & wanted to reschedule for next week. ( I called the shop 1st to cancel & reschedule but he was off and they did not know his schedule ) I sent another message saying I got the hint that he did not want to finish the touch ups and it was becoming to weird for me to continue with him. What if anything should I do? Here a pic of what has been done so far

Kk

I’m curious, did you ever figure out this mess? He is a horrible tattoo artist and I would have not stayed with him that long. I’m 21 and have a lot of tattoos already. I’ve been getting them since I was 18. I would have never put up with that guys shit. I looked into so many tattoo shops around my house before picking one. I asked around also. I would have talked to his manager and got the drawings for the tattoo if any. Then I would have taken them to a more reputable place. Nice ink though! Be careful next time and I hope that everything is better now. Just don’t ever go back to that shop again. That was extremely unprofessional, childish, messed up, and just plain rude. Good luck with everything, hope it all worked out!

Megz

Never tip an artist just to keep them interested in continuing. You paid him to do a job, and you should only tip after the job is done and you are satisfied with the work. He sounds like a first class jerk! If he didn’t want to do it to completion then he shouldn’t have agreed to it. I would talk to the guy or girl who runs the shop about what happened, and what if anything they might be able to do for you with another artist. If they can’t work something out with you, then the only thing left is to find a new artist unfortunately you may still be out of all the cash you invested into it so far. Good luck! Sorry you had to have such a bad experience.

ccc

SSTorrie – just a thought. As someone who has worked in tattoos shop before, I do know some of the things the artists used to complain about, and while no one should ever be rude to a client or dismissive, I feel I can make a couple of points of things that may have caused a rocky relationship between the artist and yourself.

1st – if you have been dropping about $1,400 over 3 or 4 sessions so far, thats approximately $350 per session. You say you have been leaving a generous tip, but $40-50 on each of those sessions isn’t even 20% gratuity. That’s not considered generous, it’s actually considered cheap. Artists rely heavily on tips, especially when they have “extra” work to do, like design and drawing time (that they don’t get paid for). A generous tip (think minimum $100 for a 3 hour session) is a way to thank them for a job well done, AND the extra work they are putting into a custom design for you.

2nd – You said the artist didn’t bother calling you back after you had to cancel a session for the next day and wanted to reschedule. This is something I have dealt with a lot in the shops where I have worked, and clients don’t seem to understand how big of a deal it is. If you cancel a session the day before the appointment, the artist generally cannot get a new client in so fast to take your old spot. That means the artist is now OUT the money they should have made for your session. We have had clients do this before, not understanding by canceling they are costing us $300-500, yet they still want us to set up a new appointment for them with no new deposit to show they’re still committed to finishing the piece. Think about it like this – why would an artist be in a hurry to book another 3 hour chunk of their day for someone who just cost them several hundred dollars by flaking on an appointment? If you want to get along well with your artist and show him you appreciate his work and aren’t inconsiderate or ungrateful, make an offer to pay (or at least TIP) for the missed session so as not to screw the artist financially. I have seen a client who had to cancel last second insist on paying for the missed time, and the artist turned them down, but it certainly helped to smooth over the resentment that can build up toward a client who blows off a session last minute.

Tattooey

On one hand you say that artists practically survive on tips; however, on the other hand you say a cancelled appointment costs an artist $500. How can it cost them that much money if they are only getting tips?? Also, $100 tip for a 3 hour session?? That’s a third of the price!! Get real! What kind of scam are you running?? Most artists in the shops where I’ve worked (or associated with) get to keep upwards of 60% of their revenue. That’s around $180 dollars for a three hour tattoo. Now, let’s take $20 an hour off for pigment, machine upkeep, and associated products, and you are left with $120. That’s $40 dollars an hour, ie:// a good friggin’ wage.
Now, before you say “tattoo artists get unsteady hours and may not get work all day”, please consider the following: lots of artists pick and choose and prima-donna their way through the work week. If they were content with the
fact that, much like everyone else, work is occasionally work, they would make an effort to grind out the less interesting pieces to meet their personal financial goal.
When’s the last time you tipped a waiter a third of your bill?

Sstorrie

Here are links to a few pictures of the Butterfly & Nature Theme tattoo that’s being worked on….or was. Thanks in advance for the advice/vent!

that looks like a lot of work to me its not bad either.! it does seem to be losing color in certain spots which might be your healing process not your tattooists fault as for the price that seems pretty bang on if you have had 4-5 sessions,remember these artists working in shops are only on a percentage 40%-50% if there lucky and they still have there own gear to pay for and then there taxs as well ,.. i think you might be being a little hard on the guy its very hard to do great work on customers that expect you to do a quater of a backjob in three sittings …there dreaming this stuff takes time, and as for artwork your guy is a tattooist it isn’t really his job to find your designs for you ..you should already have done your own research and brought artwork with you printed out at the sizes you would like it for him to put together, it would have saved him a lot of work and you a lot of time did he get paid for the 3 hours drawing he did for you before he did your tattoo? i expect not ! imagine if we had to research every bodies tattoo for them find there pictures and draw it on paper before we then turn around and hand stencil it and then tattoo it on you.. thats basically asking your tattoo artist to do everything in triplicate !!! hardly fair when the only thing your paying him for is to do your tattoo because thats his job hes a tattoo artist he gets paid to tattoo not design ! i hope this insight helps a little for you to see things from a different perspective of how demanding people can be and makes it very hard to do great work on people when you feel you are not being appreciated…. i have been tattooing for over 25 yrs internationally i shall remain nameless

Shell

You’re probably the kind of tattooist that this person got stuck with, It is OUR jobs to help design tattoos and artwork if the customer can’t. Also I don’t think this customer is being hard on the artist at all, it sounds like he was, like most tattoo artists a GIANT asshole. Good luck getting your stuff finished and touched up. Try and find an artist who gives a shit about the client and their work. No one likes a pissy ass crybaby artist tattooing them. Thats what they get paid such good money to do. We sit in uncomfortable positions and we put ink into peoples skin, and we get paid well for it. I surely wouldn’t have appreciated that jackass and his bitch girlfriend ignoring my phone calls when I am a paying customer. Just a tip for the tattoo artists out there, if you have the same attitude as these guys towards people paying thousands of dollars, people will eventually lose interest in you. Part of working so closely with a client is having a good attitude and being charismatic, It’s part of the job. If you can’t handle being somewhat cordial, and professional and returning phonecalls, you could be the new age Van Gogh but you aren’t going to get very far on a shitty attitude. If you want to be angsty and shitty with people all the time because your customer isn’t quite stroking your ego as hard as you like, then go buy a private studio and do art work on a canvas that has no feelings, or ways to communicate with you. Then when you open a gallery you can stand around while people fall to the ground and worship you, and you won’t have to deal with unappreciative customers or the hassle of having to provide the good customer service they pay for.

Itat2u

28 yrs tattooing your prob right shell thanks for all the insults amazing how tough people are over the Internet ….work in a busy shop doing 6-8 tattoos a day then Tell me how much time you have to research people’s ideas for them get real ..I know full well how much I get paid to play around in people’s blood all day pull your head out your ass your probably the kind of back yard scratcher working out of your mums garage ruining people’s skin ,and most tattooists are assholes what a clown how many you met just the 2 who’s shops you went into trying to buy tattoo gear ??? And from the language you use jackass and bitch to describe 2 people you have NEVER met sounds to me someone needs to take there meds. And you don’t think tattoo artist have sat in uncomfortable positions getting all there tattoos done you idiot I think we all know how it feels you goose

Guest

I just want to chime in because I feel impacted by this thread. I speak from the standpoint of a client. Itat2u: with all due respect, part of the job of any good tattooist is to collaborate with a clients ideas, and design a peice that translates well as a tattoo. It is one thing if you just do quick walk in tattoos, but another if you are a true artist. I choose tattoo artists because they are artists with good sttitude and good art and can help bring my visions to fruition. To shell, I appriciate your contribution here. All the best to both of you. Take care!

Ginkus

Cool off there bud. As a client, if an artist that I’m paying is unwilling to collaborate with me to create a work of art, then he or she is not invested enough in my tattoo or the artwork to be performing a permanent piece on my body. Plain and simple. Argue what you will about how hard the job is, or what you should have to do, but the stark fact is that some tattoo artists are enthusiastic and willing to be a part of the process. My time and money will be going to those artists.

RGarcia

Actually part of a tattoo ARTIST’s job description is to DESIGN and collaborate with their client. If a client brings in their drawing ready to go, great…If not, its up to us to create one. Not all people that get tattoos are artists so they have to rely on an artist to create an amazing original design. Not print one out that’s been tattoo’d on hundreds of people already. If you act like a dick and don’t work with someone who’s gonna drop a load of money into your pockets to do something you love to do, why the hell would they wanna keep coming back to you for more? That’s how you get a bad rep and lose good well-paying costumers. A backyard TATTOOIST gets payed to tattoo, a tattoo ARTIST gets payed to design AND tattoo.

Kim Chloe

From my experience people don’t generally go to an artist (if that’s what you call yourself) to get some printouts from google or someone else’s tattoo design pasted onto their body in ink. We want art on us from the artist we chose because we like their style their work and their artistic talent. Not google talent. A tattoo artist and a tattooist are very different and should be specified as so. If an artists draws something custom for us we expect a drawing fee. Mostly it’s all free hand which is fine if he’s good. I had a guy saying hes an artist asking me for sizes of pictures facing the way i wanted them all that I walked away. You won’t get me as a client. But I have artists in the family who tattoo and have been for 30+ years who would tell me walk the hell away.

Reverend Parsons

the work is not that good. The letters are not consistent, poor choices for line weights, bad tips small blowouts. Find an actual artist to fix it. All the crap others are saying about him not getting paid for artwork is BS. That is included in the price of the tat and if not that is his fault for not knowing how to price stuff. A tattoo artist takes pride in their work and understands that occasionally a client has to cancel, but after making over 1400 off of you if he was an artist he would finish it for free

Abbykadaby

Im 28 and my skin don’t hold ink well, anything I can do?

Iaya222

only leave the bandage on for 5 hours at most, i would go with taking it off as soon as you get to your house after getting the tat done. use a&d ointment which is found in the baby aisle with the diapers and all that good stuff. put the thinnest layer possible on the tattoo only 3 times a day for 3 days. after 3 days of the a&d use a non scented/fragrance free lotion in a very thin layer. only wash your tattoo once a day everyday until it is healed with fragrance free gentle foaming soap. do your best to not soak it or leave it under water for more than 10-15 minutes at most. keep out of the sun for 3 weeks but i’d be safe and do 4 weeks. do not cover until fully healed. do not pick or scrub at it. always use sunscreen on your tattoos and dont let them get burnt or the color will go within a couple years. and if none of that works than its not your skins fault, its your tattoo artists fault. if your tattoo artist doesnt press hard enough then the ink wont stay in your skin just like if a tattoo artist is heavy handed they will scar you. also it could be the ink that your tattoo shop uses and will probably have to switch shops if all of the above doesnt work.

You have share a very nice tips for tattooing and i think it’s really very helpful tips for people who wants tattooing on their body parts. Tattooing is a dangerous for human body so some experts tips will really a helpful for right tattoo artist selection and safe tattooing without any side effects.

linda

hey umm … i got 3 tattoos done yesterday and i found out that one of my tattoo inks started spreading . is this normal ?

kk

in this case i say its bad without even seeing it because it should not be spreading. that means that the artist probably went too deep which causes the ink to pool under the skin. skin shifts so it would be normal after a lot of usage of that area and over time, but since you just got yours done yesterday you should be going back to the person that did your tattoos just to check them out

I don’t like tattoos on arms. I think this work causes heath problems and has so many side effects. Anyway i like this post and learned many new information.

888

Good article, i wish I’d of read it beforehand or my tattooist would have told me to keep out the sun, I had mine done on the friday, next day I was out drinking n it went realy hot and sunny, next day I had sun burn where my tatto is aswell, it’s Tuesday now and it’s just starting to get the scabby bits coming off, and underneath them it looks pretty light, it’s supposed to be black but it looks realy light underneath, I’m praying it will be ok once it’s all healed and that, what do you think?

Jack

that was a very bad thing to do. you are supposed to keep tattoos out of the sun for 3-4 weeks. i’d hope it would be ok but it sounds like it isn’t. you are most definitely going to have to get it touched up to put it lightly. you should always keep tattoos out of the sun and sunscreen on older tattoos because within 10 years your tattoos are going to run together and look like shit.

MarkBuzz

Do tattoos make skin more prone to skin cancer, or make sun caused skin problems including pre-cancerous changes harder to detect ?

Blitzed

Excellent, relavent information, well presented and useful on all levels. As an older person, I’m encouraged as I become my journey to becoming an inked person. Sorry Mr. DeBarge isn’t in my neighborhood.

kris

I have had a few tattoos done by an artist which are well executed but the thing is is that some of the colors even where there is black fill it is like patchy? Just trying to figure out what he did or didn’t do?

Zola

patchy means fill is not of even depth and consistency… he can go over it now when it’s healed and you’ll be good to go…

Keabb

Which country’s ink is best for Tatto?

Sara

Reading this was great. I had a question though. I was thinking of getting this tattoo on my upper arm from right below my shoulder down to my elbow. It will be colored as well (although it is not in the picture). The thing is, I’m a tiny girl. My arms are small and thin. There’s a lot of detail in this design as you can see so I wanted to ask what the chances are of this tattoo looking horrible in the upcoming years. I would be devistated if my gorgeous tattoo ended up faded and bleeding together after a few years. The last thing I want is for the tattoo to blend all together and end up looking like just an ugly blotch of color. I guess I’m worried a lot about the woman’s face blending into a mess and the trees and the whiskers of the Koi. I might omit the building and the 2nd smaller woman with the umbrella in the background because I already know that those 2 things are definitely going to blend together and become unrecognizable.
What do you think? Is this design just too intricate to get on my skinny little arm? Any advice would be very greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!

sprinkles

I really want a tattoo on the arch of my inner right foot but I heard they fade a lot. Do you think it’d last at least 10-15 years with minimal fading or is it not worth it?

ccc

Definitely not, sometimes those tattoos don’t even last 6 months. Total crapshoot. But IMO, not worth it.

meecepeece

Why would tattoos done on the bottom of the foot fade, mess up faster than elsewhere? I have never wanted one there, never had anyone want one done there, and it seems like an odd location in general, not to mention PAINFUL location to sit through it!

Hazzea

Think about it. Tattoos wear off where the skin comes in contact with other things a lot, or where there’s a lot of friction. The bottom of the foot is one of the most in-contact-with-things part of your body.

Raquel

I got this tattoo about 4 months ago. I wanted to know if there is a possibility of it spreading overtime. I have it on my inner upper arm. I love the saying but not 100% happy with how it looks. I guess I wanted something a bit more define and classy looking. What do u think?

Tiffany Cooley

Why Does My Tattoo Look GrayIsh And Faded After It Healed I Want On The Sun And I Didn’t Pick Scabs, I Got Two On The Same Day Ones Nice And Black The Other Is grey

thank you for taking the time to write this article!! i really liked it! got a couple of tattoos myself, one of them is a text, and even though the ink will eventually shift and fade and stuff, i won’t regret it, because by the time it would be worth regretting, i’m old and wrinkly anyways, so who cares, i sure won’t! but it’s nice to know that unlike my dad my tattoos won’t become india green!

susan

i have to retouch a a heart tattoo with 5 banners and would like some tips on how to reduce the amount of skin damage i will cause in the process

I’m getting a batman symbol on my hand and I heard that tattoos on the hand fades faster than other spots

Courtney Galler

My husband has convinced me to go get ink with him, the next time we go. Since we recently moved to a new area, I’m going to be researching artists. If I’m going to get a tattoo, I want it to be done by someone with experience, and a professional attitude. Not a teenager with a needle and a punk smug. Any ideas for research?

What really sucks here is all the put downs for home tattoist and artists who do a good job. But you all seem to think a person must work for or with someones studio, or be an apprentice first and work for free Etc then to be alled an ” artist” must try finding work at a big tattoo parlor. Wrong. Lots of ” home” or ” back alley” as you call it, tattoo artists know exactly what they are doing, their work is just as good as a.” Professional “, and they are just as serious abt sterilization and safety and quality too. What you are implying is that anyone self-employed is not as good las employed by others. That is not correct. You can think it if you want, but you don’t know everyone, and also we are not all teenagers with ” attitude “, not that all teens have a negative attitude either, thats a stereotype, but I am 41, female, adult, extremely serious about art and safety. I refuse to jump through a thousand hoops just to work in the ” fancy tattoo shop downtown ” when I can learn and make money on my own.

Autumn

I haven’t even had my tattoo for a year yet and I see it is starting to get a bit grey in the spaces between the letters and part of the ‘I’ is now thicker. What could I be doing wrong? It isn’t too small I had it sized up from what I had wanted.

Duíbhir Ní Maolmmhuaídh

should a tatoo fade from black to pale grey in 14 months?

Hazzea

Could you re-think and possibly edit or make a note on this part?
“3. Sometimes you have a very clear idea of what you want to have done, and the tattoo artist won’t go along. Should you argue if you really want a certain thing?
There are things we can’t do, and we won’t do. If I think the tattoo is too small and in too rough of a place I just won’t do it. I won’t just take your money. You can argue with me all you want, but I’m not going to do it. I’m not a prostitute. It’s bad karma.”

This pretty strongly implies that prostitutes/sex workers don’t have agency, and that it’s okay to force a sex worker to do something they don’t want to do just because they are providing you services. This is NOT okay to say.

meecepeece

People can say whatever the hell they want. It’d be good if you remember that.

Hazzea

And others have a right to ask them not to be an asshole. Funny how that works! Neither you nor the author are better than sex workers, and talking about them in a derogatory way is something the author needs to self-crit. I’m asking that of them, because that’s how living in the real world works. You say something stupid, you get called out.

Your “freeze peach” doesn’t protect you from being called out. It’d be good if you remember that, friend.

The Editor

Sorry, we don’t edit our interviewers comments, that would be misrepresentation and bad journalism. Our interview subjects have the right to have their comments represented accurately and not have their thoughts edited.

Hazzea

Y’all don’t ever do post-scripts or updates? That’s what I was referring to when I say “edit” (sorry, spent too much time on Reddit and I see how that could be interpreted differently). Now curious as to why you consider this bad journalism. For example, when people misrepresent things on the radio or on news sites or on podcasts, they often do a corrections segment where they address issues with their statements. Why do you consider this bad journalism?

Similarly, would you not allow the author to add updates onto their own piece? If I wrote something like that, and people brought it to my attention that it was hilariously ignorant, I would definitely want to make an update so that my name wasn’t out there permanently tied to a hateful socially conservative position.

Febryan Yudha

point #7 doesn’t make any sense, you can redo your tattoo as many times as you want, the skin wont be damaged permanently the cell will continue to recover new skin.

Ce Cee

Very well said with all honesty..behind every word, it seriously agree .. And makes perfect sense 15 yrs later & after 7 tattoo’s being in my 40’s still getting another tattoo, in the right spot & size, color and wording of a name. Age, size & place of tatt, is a factor.. On wanting to get a “TATTOO” enjoy the moment of that time being there getting it done, The art of it, & it will stand out & last longer. Or dont bother getting it cuz it wont matter or mean anything.. Cuz if its not done right in every way all the way it wont look good or last .. So it dont matter.. Why bother. I look at it that way.. And will stand by that.. I tell all i know “The same thing being in the 40’s wanting more tattoos.. Its a factor.